


A Blanket of Scales

by Exalted_Dawn



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Dragon AU, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Possible Character Death, Sadness, Suicidal Thoughts, havent decided yet - Freeform, not graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-31 17:03:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12686385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Exalted_Dawn/pseuds/Exalted_Dawn
Summary: People who made promises were far worse than those who lie or cheat. They give hope to others, hope for something that might not be deliverable. Robin thought that, surely, because she had broke her promise to him, because she couldn't let him land the final blow, this was to be her punishment. Liars and cheaters are cursed with misfortune, but only those who break a promise are cursed with scales.





	A Blanket of Scales

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chrimson_Bonez](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrimson_Bonez/gifts).



# Chapter 1

### Spread Your Wings

  

Everything was _too much_. That was the only thing that would register in her sleep bound mind. Blinding sunlight tried in vain to pierce the veil of darkness surrounding her, her own eyelids remaining stubbornly shut against the brightness. She tried moving her arm, her finger, anything. But even that proved fruitless. Her body ached beyond any injury that she could remember suffering during the war. So much so, that the simplest twitch made her muscles burn in protest. So instead of embracing her new-found consciousness, Robin chose to turn her back to it and fall into blissful numbness.

What did it matter if she slept in? The war was over. No one would need her strategies anymore. And anyway, surely Chrom would be livid with her should she wake. The thought of her husband was almost enough to pry her from the impartial grasp of the dark.

Should she choose to wake, she knew that he would be waiting there for her. He was always there for her, whether she appreciated the company or not. But that did not mean that he wouldn’t be angry with her. He would. He had every right to be. After all, she was the one that broke the promise she had made to him so long ago.

Or was it only yesterday? Robin couldn’t remember. She had lost count of the hours when she had first arrived here, where ever  _this_ was. For all she knew, Chrom and the rest of her family could be long dead by now. Time may have slipped by like an ever blowing breeze, elusive and unable to be captured by her hands.

Robin cut that line of thinking before she found herself entangled in it. She ended up here because she chose to willingly. There was no point in wallowing in regret because of a decision made to protect her home. Everyone could live happily now, free of the long shadow that Grima had cast across the lands. That would be enough for her.

A sharp stab of pain shot through her body, and the ringing in her ear grew to a deafening loudness. She groaned. Why was it that she was in so much pain? She tried moving again, and was met with just as much resistance as the last time.

“…Robin?”

And just like that, she was free. That voice she knew so well, the one of her first and last memories was the key that unshackled her from the void. Her eyes shot open, struggling to fight against the whiteness of the morning sun.

Chrom stood over her, dressed in the regalia of a Ylissean war general. She remembered that armor well. She had bought it for him on their first anniversary. His Falchion was drawn, its silver-gold blade flashed blue with the reflection of the sky above.

_Huh. How strange. The war should be over._

Robin struggled to move, her body fighting her at every attempt to stand. Her legs refused to obey her, and she collapsed against the ground. Her eyes searched out her husband’s, sending a silent plea for help.

Instead, all she saw was fear. Chrom’s eyes were wide with panic, the blue of his irises were dulled to a deep grey. She tested a question on her tongue, but only a strangled growl came out. The sound was like that of gravel beneath the foot, and sat uncomfortably in her ears.

“D-Don’t try to move. It’s okay, I’ll come to you.” Chrom dropped his precious sword to the ground and made his way to her side, treading lightly. She struggled to lift her head to meet him, just barely keeping it hovering a few inches above the ground. The movement caused him to flinch momentarily, but he soon shook it off and tentatively reached out his hand. His fingers trembled, just barely brushing over her cheek. They were as warm as she remembered them to be, and she leaned into the touch she was too long deprived of. The tension drained from her husband’s shoulders, an uneasy understanding settling over him like a quilt.

“Robin…It really _is_ you…” he breathed. His chest was heaving, sweat plastered his hair to the spot above his brow. He did not reach out to embrace her or hold her, instead he kept his palm glued to the spot beneath her eye. Lissa edged up behind her brother, equally cautious as he had been in her approach.

“Chrom, we have to do something…”

His gaze left Robin briefly, instead he turned to face the blonde with pinpricks of tears in his eyes. “Well, what do you propose we do about this…?” His voice was choked. Robin could tell that he was barely managing to keep himself composed. She had spent many late nights driving away that strangled sob when the pressures of leadership became too much for him.

She wanted to be closer to him, to tell him that everything would be alright, but she still couldn’t muster the strength to do either. She reached out a hand instead, hoping that the gesture would help soothe him.

Her blood froze in her veins at what she saw. A large clawed foot just barely fell before her husband’s lap, its deep purple scales catching on the fabric of his pants. She tried again to move her hand, but that _thing_ moved in its place. All at once Robin could feel everything wrong with her body. She was too heavy, her knees and elbows bent in an unnatural direction, but most prominent were the two protrusions sticking out of her back.

_Wings._

Robin felt the immediate need to vomit. This wasn’t her body, it wasn’t where she belonged. Instead she was trapped in this gnarled frame.

She backpedaled on her hind legs, just barley managing to not catch Chrom on her horns in the process. Night after night, she’d lie awake trying to convince herself that she wasn’t the monster that her father believed her to be. But it seems even throwing away her life had not been enough to prove that.

“Robin! ROBIN! IT’S OKAY! JUST _CALM DOWN_!” Chrom was on his feet now, his hands raised like he was trying to settle a startled mare. He was so _small_ beneath her. Now that she was at her full height, she could see that most of the Shepherds were gathered at a distance, all dressed in full armor and baring weapons. All of her friends had come with steel drawn. They had come to kill her.

Pitch black feathers arched towards the sky as Robin allowed instinct to take over. She wanted- no, needed to get away. What was the point of throwing away her future if it just meant more fighting? She felt herself leave the ground, wind pushing up against her wings as she forcibly lifted her weight into the air. The sky called to her like a beacon. Its vast blue reaches open to even a monstrosity like herself.

“ ** _MOTHER!_** ” The sound grounded her immediately. Morgan and Lucina came running up to her, the former flung himself around her neck without hesitation. Lucina hung back, having always been the more vigilant of the two. Her daughter moved like she was being jerked in two opposing directions. Her instincts were simultaneously telling her to run towards her mother and away from the echoes of the past.

Robin crouched low, an attempt to make herself look smaller in front of her daughter. The last thing she wanted to be was the beast of her child’s nightmares. Lucina would need time to sort out her feelings, and she would wait patiently until that happened.

_You can trust me._

 She came slowly at first. She was obviously unsure and afraid.  However, with each step, the warrior princess gathered a little more of her confidence. With each step, she drew closer to retrieving what she had lost, not once, but twice.

“M-Mother…” Her voice shook with unshed tears as she slipped her arms around the dragon’s neck in a tender hug. The gesture had been a bit awkward, like trying to hug a tree trunk, but it warmed Robin’s heart all the same.

Morgan, on the other hand, was choked to the point of muteness. He clung to her leg, unable to do anything but weep. Their grief made the Ylissean Queen almost regret choosing to land the final blow upon Grima. She had did what she’d done to ensure the safety of their smiles. But now that they sat before her, reduced to tears, she could only wander if she really had done the right thing.

Maybe these scales and claws were intended to be her punishment.

 

* * *

 

“Robin…?”  His wife’s name sounded foreign on his tongue. It had been years since he last dared to speak it, had last had the strength to utter those two syllables without falling apart.

Back when he first lost her, Naga’s words had been his sanctuary. No matter how many pitying looks he had received, he stubbornly clung to the hope that his wife would return to him safe and unharmed. He trusted that the bonds that they shared, not only with each other, but with all of their friends, would be enough to pry her from the grasp of whatever world lay beyond the veil. But as days crept on into years, the ebb and flow of time steadily eroded away his own convictions.

When he first got the report, he hadn’t allowed himself to hope. The news had been vague. A dark form had dropped out of the sky in a field near Southtown, and villagers had refused to go near to investigate, fearing it was another hoard of Risen. Even though they hadn’t been spotted in the last three years, their memory alone was enough to warrant sending their fastest horse to beg the help of Chrom’s militia.

The Shepherds set out early the next morning, intent on quickly resolving this mission to spare their captain the pain of facing his past once again. They marched solemnly toward Southtown, he, Lissa, and Frederick leading the way.  
When he first saw her, he could barely stop himself from bolting to her side. Deep purple, the same color of that iconic cloak of hers, stood out against the gold of the meadow grass. However, the closer he drew to her, the more he knew that something was wrong. His mad dash across the field had slowed to a jarring halt.

The form that had laid in front of him was much larger than that of a young woman. Instead of soft skin, plum colored scales glinted in the sun, and twisting horns grew where snow white hair should have been. Instead of his wife, a dragon slept at his feet.

He drew Falchion from his sheath, the blade singing against the air despite its lengthy neglect. The beast didn’t even twitch from the noise. In fact, if not for the rhythmic rise and fall of its chest, he would have been sure that it was dead.

“Nowi! Tiki! What do you think? Is it a Manakete?” he called. He didn’t want to take any action until he was sure that the creature was a threat to his people.

The green haired women came up beside him, each of them taking their time to assess the situation. Nowi had been the first to break her silence.

“Hmmmmm. I don’t _think_ so… It feels more like, hmmm, like-”

“Grima,” Tiki finished. The reaction was immediate. The Shepherds immediately fell into station, drawing steel and waiting for their commands. The elder Manakete held up her hand, signaling that she wasn’t done speaking. “It is only _like_ Grima. Just a small fragment of this one’s life force mimics that of the Fell Dragon. As reluctant I am to say this, this feeling is more akin to-”

 

* * *

 

 

“Robin.” He called her name again, this time less unsure than the first.

The dragon lifted its head just a fraction of an inch, piercing gold eyes landing on the young lord.  The sound of her name being called drew its attention from the two blue haired teens at its feet.

_Is it really you?_

He had watched as his children ran to the dragon just moments before, some innate instinct driving them to their mother. The scene unfolded before him, and he stood by like a spectator attending a play. How could this be real?

‘ _Chrom.’_

The voice echoed in his head, shy and quiet, but most importantly, _familiar_. It was her voice.  And with just his name, he was undone. The wind was forced from his lungs, her words hitting him like a jab to the gut. He didn’t know when he had run to her side, or when he had grabbed hold of her, clinging pathetically to the dragon’s snout as he struggled to stay standing. All he knew was that she had finally returned to him.

Chrom knew that he looked a mess. He wished he could have stayed composed for their reunion, but that wasn’t important now. His blue hair splayed against violet, his tears streaming down her scales. His hands clutched to the scales on either side of her face, fingernails digging between the grooves and finding purchase there. He would have to apologize for his roughness later, but for now he only wished to hold her.  

“God’s… _Robin._ ” The name rolled off his tongue, over and over. She was alive. She was real. She was okay. That was all that mattered.

 

* * *

 

 

The four of them sat like that until the sun had passed into its last stages in the sky, Chrom repeatedly muttering the name of his wife as their kids clung close to them both, a glue to keep them bound together. The Shepherds had long dissipated, some to scout the surrounding area while others rode home towards Ylisstol with the news for those left behind. Lissa and Frederick were the only ones that remained with them, intent on making sure that no one interrupted the newly reunited family.

It wasn’t until the sky had faded to match the midnight blue of the Exalt’s hair did they bother to move from their spot. The absence of the sun’s warmth combined with the emotional toll that today’s events sent Morgan into a bout of shivers. And even Lucina, as much as she denied it, seemed exhausted and close to collapsing.

She wasn’t looking forward to it, but she knew that they needed to return to the castle, preferably while it was still dark outside. No matter how they could spin it, if a dragon bearing the likeness of Grima just flew straight through town, it was bound to send the halidom into chaos. For now, it would be best if she just laid low.

Frederick helped Morgan onto the back of his mare, and Lucina took the reins of her father’s stallion. The tactician knew that there was no way she could take the roads. The risk of some stray traveler seeing her was far too great. She’d have to fly back. Her hide was so dark that she could easily blend into the night sky, a shadow moving unseen by those below. The issue arose when Chrom became insistent on staying as close to Robin as he possibly could. Try as they might to persuade him otherwise, the Exalt clung stubbornly to his decision.

Robin had to give the man props. He even had the guts to stare her fang-filled maw and argue in his favor. Not that she was planning on hurting him, but she thought she could at least use this form to her advantage in getting her point across. In the end, the most she could get out of him was an agreement to fly by pegasus. She still felt unsure on her new wings, and she wasn’t confident in her ability to stay aloft just yet. The last thing she needed was the both of them plummeting to the ground because one of them had been too stubborn to listen to reason.

The trip was expedited by the need for sleep. Robin could hardly remember much of her flight, mostly relying on Tiki to help keep her oriented while in the air while she fought off the pull of slumber.

It was late into the morning when they arrived at the castle. Flying above the high walls and rooftops of Ylisstol had been all too easy. The city wore a blanket of darkness, candles and torches that could have caught the glint of her scales were long burned out by the time they had arrived. Robin was grateful for the silence. No one would be awake to send questioning stares at her or scream in terror.

‘ _Lady Robin. We’ll be landing in the garden courtyard. I want you to follow my lead and spread your wings so that they become full with wind. It should feel like how a boatman pulls an oar to slow a canoe. Do you think you can do it?’_ Tiki questioned.

Robin tested the concept briefly before deciding that she could probably manage it, though it would be a crude landing at best. She was still unused to her own weight. _‘Yes. I should be able to.’_

Tiki gave a small nod before starting her decent. Robin did her best to copy the priestess’ movements, but her landing had come at the cost of losing a few oak trees along the way. Sumia’s pegasus set down shortly after them, hooves clopping against the cobblestone as it trotted up alongside the other two.

Sumia was giggling despite herself. “We’ll have to practice your form later, but not bad for your first go.”

Robin huffed in slight annoyance, warm air stirring up the dust underfoot. _‘I don’t want to hear that from you of all people. You can give me flight lessons the day that a pebble fails to trip you,’_ she chuckled.

Robin’s remark sent Sumia into another fit of laughter. “I suppose that’s fair.” Sumia stilled, brown eyes making contact with her now yellow ones. “I’m glad that you’re back. We’ve all missed our favorite smart-mouthed tactician.”

Robin found it hard to meet her gaze. The way Sumia had said it made it seem like she’s been missing for longer than she’d like to hear. _‘Who’s smart-mouthed? Surely you can’t mean me…’_ Robin muttered.

Chrom watched on with fascination. His wife had been silent for most of the trip, but with just a simple quip, Sumia had her _bantering_ , of all things.

“Milord.”

The bluenette lurched in surprise at the sudden intrusion. No matter how long he’d known him for, Frederick’s ability to seemingly materialize out of nowhere still managed to catch him off guard. “Yes? Is there anything wrong?”

 “No, Milord. I came to report that I have sent most of the staff home on leave and what guards that remain are under direct orders of secrecy. I’ve also seen to it that the prince and princesses were escorted back to their rooms.”

Chrom cringed at the thought of little Luci. In all the excitement, he forgot to consider how she would react to all of this. The last time she had seen her mother, she was but a babe. She was four now, far too old to remember Robin outside of the stories she was told.

“Thank you, Frederick, as always. Your efforts are greatly appreciated,” he sighed.

“Of course. I thought that Milady may prefer it if she was granted a bit of privacy to think things through. If I may, I must excuse myself to make further arrangements.”

“Yes, of course. Good night.”

“Good night, sir… And if I may be so bold, I’m glad that she’s back,” Frederick stated.

Chrom’s eyes wandered back to where Sumia and Robin were chatting. A gentle smile graced the bluenette’s lips. His wife seemed much more at ease than before. “As am I.”

With a quick bow, the knight turned on his heel and set off down the southern hall, presumably towards the barracks. It wasn’t until his friend was out of sight did Chrom allow himself a yawn.

_‘Tired are we?’_

“A bit. Have you finished talking to Sumia?” He turned. Robin was reclined on her hind legs, resting in a nearby patch of grass.

 _‘Yes. She had to go take care of her steed before heading back, so I didn’t want to keep her any longer.’_ She paused slightly, before continuing. _‘You should get some rest.’_

“I think you mean _we_ should get some rest,” he retorted.

_‘Oh. I fully intend to. Don’t worry, I’m quite comfortable here.’_

Chrom scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous, Robin. You have a bed.”

 _‘One that I don’t fit in anymore. Plus, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but I’m not exactly as cuddly as I used to be,’_ she snorted.

Chrom drew a bit closer, a small smile drawn across his face. He’d missed this. “Nonsense. You’re just as huggable as you’d been when I found you in that field the first time.”

_‘And you are just as foolish.’_

Chrom couldn’t help but chuckle. She always _did_ act childish when she was grumpy. “Come on, let’s go. We can’t have the Queen of Ylisse sleeping on the lawn.”

_‘And how do you propose I get there? I can’t exactly squeeze my way up the stairs.’_

“Is it just me or has your mind gone dull after your nap? You seem to have two perfectly serviceable wings,” he said. “I’ll meet you up there in a bit, I just have a few things to take care of first. And Naga so help me, if you aren’t waiting for me when I get there, I will come down here and sleep beside you on the grass. Don’t test me, Robin.”

His wife growled a bit. _‘You’ve gotten better at arguing since I’ve been gone.’_

“Well, someone had to deal with the diplomats while you were away... I’ll take that as a yes?”

After a moment, Robin closed her eyes in surrender. _‘Okay.’_

 

* * *

 

 

Everything was left just as she remembered it. The bed near the window still had a damaged poster, the remains a changing mishap that happened soon after they’d first married. Her desk still sat in the corner, books and maps strewn across both it and the adjacent floor. Her tactician’s robe lay draped across her favorite reading nook in the corner. Finally, she was home.

She was glad that she married a king. Their room had plenty of floor space for her to curl up on, and she found the cool stone surprisingly pleasant. If she had still been human, she would have called herself crazy for thinking such a thing.

The creak of their bedroom door interrupted her thought process. Chrom slipped inside, now devoid of his armor and donning a simple tunic. He shut the door behind him and shot Robin one of those grins of his when he saw her lying obediently in wait. “Hey.”

_‘Hey.’_

The interaction was brief, but not uncomfortable. It had been a regular part of their routine all those years ago. Chrom went about getting ready for bed, divesting himself of his sweaty day clothes and changing into something more casual. Robin watched him as he worked, unable to do much else while she waited for sleep. The methodical movements were a welcome familiarity and she began to doze off to the sound of her husband’s absent-minded humming.

That was until a fluffy duvet cover was thrown over half of her body and said husband settled himself beside her, a pillow being the only thing between him and the floor.

_‘…This wasn’t part of the deal.’_

“I only promised to not sleep on the floor outside. Are you saying an Exalt doesn’t have the right to admire the stonework of his room of his own accord?” he questioned, rolling over on his side so that he faced her. A soft smile was spread across his lips, one corner pointed up in a teasing smirk. He always had been too kind.

_‘Chrom…please. You don’t have to force yourself to sleep beside-’_

  “My wife.” The man’s visage had sobered in an instant, blue brows drawn together in mild determination and his mouth set in a firm scowl. “You are my wife, Robin. One that I’ve sorely missed for the past three years. For all I care, you could look like Basilio and I still wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but _right here._ ”

Robin’s breath hitched. Three years. She’d been gone for three years. Oh gods.

 _‘Luci…’_ The thought of her youngest nearly brought her to tears. It had been so long since she’d last been able to hold her daughter in her arms. Back when they’d entered their final battle, she’d been prepared for that to be her last time. But now that she was here, knowing that she couldn’t cradle her child once more was like downing poison. It burned her.

“You’d be so proud of her… She’s already itching to hold a sword. I can hardly convince her otherwise nowadays.” The sentence trailed into a bittersweet chuckle. They both knew that Robin had missed much of Lucina’s early life. Her first words, her first steps, everything had been left for Chrom to experience alone.

_‘She sounds so brave. I’m glad that she’s growing up without fear.’_

“That’s only because of you. Back when you… ended it, it took me to a while to forgive you. I was angry and scared. You left me with the pieces of a broken world, your legacy being the only thread I had to hold it all together. I promised to build you something better, and yet…” His fist tightened, the crescents of his nails digging inteo his sword-worn palm. “I failed. I was so determined to save you from yourself, Robin. For once, I wanted to be the one who ended your suffering. I wanted to be your hero, as you were mine. But instead, I was glued in place, helpless to watch while the one person I loved above all else threw away her life.”

Countless memories flashed before her eyes. Deafening wind. A blood red sky. The gleam of a sword pointed at identical flesh. He’d almost gotten his way that night. But her magic had been faster.

“I was so angry with you Robin. You went to the one place where I couldn’t follow, and you did so _willingly_.” His voice shuttered with grief, each breath haunted by ghosts of his past. His hand reached out across the space between them, the backs of his fingers just barely grazing her skin as though he were scared that she would evaporate with a single touch. “So _please…_ Don’t run from me any longer.”

Robin couldn’t find the words. She wasn’t a hero. A hero would have tried to find a way to beat the bad guy and save everyone, just like Chrom did. No, she took the easy way out. Just like he had said, she selfishly left everyone to pick up the mess she left behind. 

So she said nothing. The two laid like that, lost in mistakes of the past, until the call of slumber became too tempting to stay awake.

Two halves, broken and shattered, were waiting to be made whole once more.

**Author's Note:**

> Woooooo!!! Decided to write a short 2-3 shot story based off of a prompt provided by Chrimson_Bonez!!! Hope you guys like the pain :D


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